Walking the Walls of Dubrovnik

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Croatia, Europe

by Jennifer Dombrowski

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Stradun, Dubrovnik’s main street, as seen from the city walls

The old town of Dubrovnik is completely surrounded by intact fortified walls, even including the Old City Harbor. The walls run for 1940 meters encircling the city and are considered amongst the greatest of fortification systems during the Middle Ages because they were never breached during that time period. The walls were so strongly constructed, they even withstood any damage from the earthquake of 1667.

The red roofs of Dubrovnik

A portal to the sea

Fort Lovrijenac

We walked all 1940 meters of the walls surrounding the city. Nearly 2 kilometers (1.25 miles) doesn’t sound like a lot but take into consideration that we’re having one of the hottest summers in nearly 50 years and that a lot of stairs are involved as the walls vary in height towering above the city at 25 meters high at some points. There are three entrances to the walls and we started our walk on them at the Gate of Ploče. Once we reached the top of the steep staircase leading us to the top of the walls, we were immediately rewarded with stunning views of Fort Lovrijenac rising on a gorge 37 meters high. This fort defended Dubrovnik from attacks from both the land and the sea. It certainly earned the message carved into its doors: “Non bene pro toto libertas venditur Auro.” (“Freedom can not be sold for all the treasures of the world”).

A narrow portion of the walls snake toward Lokrum Island

As we made our way along the walls toward the Old City Harbor, we got a taste for local life in Dubrovnik. Shuttered windows gave way to the sounds of locals having lunch and laundry blew in the breeze. I wondered what the locals thought of tourists traipsing by day after day; of having to keep their shutters closed for a bit of privacy.

Emma defends Dubrovnik

The Old City Harbor

From the sea side, we had amazing views out to Lokrum island and of the harbor. There is also a little cafe here with a few tables with a “window” view. The cafe serves ice cream and fresh fruit smoothies. A waiter was kind enough to offer Emma a drink of water.

Two bronze men ring the bell on the hour in the city’s Clock Tower

From the vantage point high above the city, it’s easy to spot the details like the two bronze men who move to strike the bell on the hour on the city’s Clock Tower.

A bird’s eye view over Dubrovnik

Continuing on, we eventually came to Minčeta Tower and the steep climb up to the walls’ highest point was certainly worth a little bit of huffing and puffing for the bird’s eye view we got over Dubrovnik. Here the walls are 6 meters (20 feet) thick as this fort served as the most prominent defense toward the land.

Know Before You Go

There are only three entrances to the city walls and once you’re up on them, traffic is one way. You’ll walk more than 1/2 way around before you come to the first exit. So bring water! There is also minimal shade, so if visiting in the summer, wear sunscreen.

Tickets are 70 kuna for adults and 30 kuna for children under 18. Dogs are free. Visiting times are from 8:30am – 6:30pm.

: Stradun, Dubrovnik’s main street as seen from the city walls

: Emma defends Dubrovnik

: A narrow portion of the walls snake toward Lokrum Island

: The Old City Harbor

: Two bronze men ring the bell on the hour in the city’s Clock Tower

: The red roofs of Dubrovnik

: A bird’s eye view over Dubrovnik

: A portal to the sea

: Fort

Jennifer Dombrowski

Jennifer Dombrowski is a location independent globe trotter and bases herself in Prata di Pordenone, Italy. She works as a social media and innovation strategist in higher education and is a regular contributor on johnnyjet.com. Her website, jdombstravels.com, is the 2012 Destinology Travel Bloggy Best Newcomer award winner. Google+

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Erika Blake

August 31, 2012 at 6:55 am (UTC 2) Link to this comment

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Ahhh very nice pictures of Kings Landing (Game of Thrones reference)…I mean Dubrovnic! Nice seeing Emma defending the city! Lovely pictures the orange roofs against that brilliant blue sea make for a gorgeous contrast of color!

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Jennifer Dombrowski Reply:
September 1st, 2012 at 6:08 pm
Dubrovnik was really beautiful and very different from anywhere else we’ve been in Europe. Definitely visit if you have the chance, Erika!

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Kate Blake

August 31, 2012 at 6:57 am (UTC 2) Link to this comment

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Gorgeous! I am glad to see Emma defending the city.

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Jennifer Dombrowski Reply:
September 1st, 2012 at 6:09 pm
Haha, Kate! It was not very easy to get her to pose like that!

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Carmen Cashman

August 31, 2012 at 7:21 pm (UTC 2) Link to this comment

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Dubrovnik is one place I still haven't gotten too….. Thanks for the beautiful pictorial.

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Jennifer Dombrowski Reply:
September 1st, 2012 at 6:10 pm
Definitely visit if you have the chance, Carmen! We really liked it. And we also recommend a panoramic cruise to see the walls and forts from the water.

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Ali

September 1, 2012 at 7:30 pm (UTC 2) Link to this comment

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I loved Dubrovnik! I was only there for one day, but it’s such a beautiful city. I was there at the end of August in 2009, and even though we waited until late afternoon to start walking the walls, it was still really hot. Kind of hard to avoid in the summer. I remember laughing at how long they told us it would take to walk the whole thing, and then it took us twice as long because we stopped to take so many pictures. Oops! My pictures from there are some of my favorites I’ve ever taken.
Ali recently posted..Photos From Turkey

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Jennifer Dombrowski Reply:
September 4th, 2012 at 11:36 pm
Dubrovnik was a really nice surprise. We felt like it was really different from anywhere else we’ve been in Europe. And yes, we were sweltering the days we spent all along the Croatian coast. Luckily, there was a breeze up on the walls so it wasn’t that hot while on the walls.

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Dalene

September 2, 2012 at 2:16 am (UTC 2) Link to this comment

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I loved Dubrovnik! Will never get tired of seeing beautiful shots of that city!
Dalene recently posted..Hitting the Travel Wall with Mozart Balls

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Jennifer Dombrowski Reply:
September 4th, 2012 at 11:38 pm
We loved it too. We’ve been feeling a bit Europe’d out and we really felt like Dubrovnik was different than anything else we’ve seen in Europe.

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Nam

September 6, 2012 at 11:21 pm (UTC 2) Link to this comment

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Great pictures. I was just in Croatia a couple of weeks ago and Dubrovnik was definitely my favorite part. It’s funny to see other folks taking the same pictures!

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